Getting Started

[Atlanta_Climber]

What climbs would you guys recommend for someone starting out in mountaineering. I want to do this right; by doing a series of climbs that will give me the experience I need to move to the next level without exposing others or myself to unnecessary risks. I did a Rainier trip with RMI this spring and realized I have a ton to learn and want to learn it the right way…earn my way up. I'm in the Atlanta area (I know, not the best place for an aspiring mountaineer) but can travel. ANY advice will be greatly appreciated. ROLL TIDE!

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Heh! Gotcha about the risk. The ol' Doctor was simply crackin' wise, as is his wont. Enjoy the hills, and feel free to hit up DFA for beta if you decide you'd rather clip bolts and blow out your tendons sport climbing.

[Jason_Martin]

Atlanta Climber,

 

I've put together a list of cascade routes on my personal website for people who are in a very similar boat to yours.

 

web page

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jason

[mattp]

You can learn to climb while living in Atlanta, but it will just be a little more difficult and expensive than if you were living here. I grew up in Michigan and started "mountaineering" with a winter traverse of the Presidential Range, learned to rock climb on a 25 foot piece of sandstone, and then read the Freedom of the HIlls before my first climbing trip to the Tetons.

 

Jason's lists of easy climbs look pretty good and you would do well to try just about any of those routes.

[ryland_moore]

Also learned how to climb back east (clipping bolts). There is plenty of rock around ya - even good bouldering along a river near downtown (if there is such a thing as a downtown in sprawl city). Check out Foster Falls, Tennessee Wall, Sunset, Suck Creek Canyon, Looking Glass, NC, and any trad area in Western NC for that matter. You can do weekend trips easily to all these areas. I know there is large climbing community down there, as they were always in TN and NC on the weekends. Also some nice areas around Birmingham and smaller areas in N. Georgia mountains. If you need contacts, have a friend who lives in Hotlanta and flies out here every year a few times to climb in the Cascades. He is also doing Denali with us next spring. You can pick his brain if you'd like. Don't know how much longer he will be in Hotlanta though. Tired of flying out here and is moving back to Jackson Hole within the year.

[ILuvAliens]

The mountains are calling for you to move. This is obvious.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

If you're looking to avoid unnecessary risks, you should probably think twice about taking up mountaineering. Seems to be a lot of objective shit out there waiting to swallow you, pummel you, or hypothermificate you. Stay on your toes!

[slothrop]

If you really want to learn to climb, you have to do it often, which means you have to get the hell out of Atlanta. If you can't live within driving distance of mountaineering, you won't climb enough.

 

Read Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills, Climbing Anchors, Knot and Ropes for Climbers, and lots of guidebooks and trip reports. Find a few more experienced people to climb with, and go do easy stuff first, and take time to practice skills along the way (like crevasse rescue, self-arrest, rappelling, anchors, rope management, etc.).

 

I dunno, there's probably some stuff you can do out east to see if you really want to learn to climb. Like cragging, caving, winter hiking in the Appalachians... then come out to the mountains somewhere and find someone to climb with. I'm sure you could find a partner here if you announced your arrival and willingness to contribute gas money, beer and HC.

[slothrop]

Yeah, good idea, DFA. ATL, I think DFA wants to be your ropegun.

[allthumbs]

...more like "wants to chug his gun"

[Thinker]

A different perspective:

 

I learned to climb while I lived in the midwest. It was always a road trip to get to the good climbing areas, but it can be done. One of my favorite climbing partners lives in Kansas City, Mecca of climbing that IT is. He comes out to Seattle a couple times a year for the big climbs, does other road trips to some great areas, and putzes around on local rock there the rest of the time.

 

So, it can be done, but it will take some effort. Consider enrolling in a NOLS course or some other kind of climbing/mountaineering course to get the basics down, see if you like it, and see if you're willing to invest the time and money into it that it WILL ultimately take to excel. Check out the local university outdoor programs...check out the local climbing gyms and clubs if you haven't already, they can be a good source of info, instruction, and partners.

 

The most important thing I'll stress is: get some instruction! preferably professional.

 

[ 08-23-2002, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: Thinker ]

[iain]

If you have been through the RMI routine I would assume you have had some rudimentary training in self-arrest (only a day perhaps) and some basic roped travel. This is good stuff to start with, and probably could serve you well on some easier mountains here in the PNW. If you are interested more in general mountaineering on snow/ice and you were comfortable on the DC route (I assume) you can probably head up the easy stuff on Adams, Baker, Hood, etc w/o much assistance (but go with someone else of equal or greater ability). I would put in some time on these kinds of mountains to develop your decision making abilities in a mountain environment (something I am sure you did not learn at all on your RMI adventure). Then you can start adding technical challenges and build up that way. Living in Oregon, I found Mt. Hood to be an excellent teaching mountain when I was getting started. You can start on a technically easy route and work up to some pretty fierce climbs progressively. Again it would be difficult to do this consistently from Atlanta. Also, heavy physical conditioning will make everything easier! Have fun.

[Atlanta_Climber]

Thanks for the info... As for the risk thing, I should have qualified that a bit. I realize climbing is inherently risky, I just don't want to make it more so with ignorance and unbridled enthusiasm.

 

I realize I gotta get out of Atlanta. I do some winter stuff on the Appalachian Trail, but that's not mountaineering, just hiking. If I can't talk my wife into leaving the area, I may be forced to read about you locals and your exploits, dream, and take the occasional guided trip.